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We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us — the labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.
~Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Basic SpecsWhat System?: The Marvel Heroic Roleplaying system.What Medium?: The game will be played over IRC.How many players?: I'm looking for 3 to 5 players.When will this be played?: Wednesdays at 8PM EDT.What's the Tone?: Dark Urban Fantasy.

What is Persona?
Persona is a spin-off series of the Shin Megami Tensei series of Japanese Video Game RPGs. Simply put, the Persona Series is set in modern-day japan and features high school students solving mysteries using a supernatural power known as a Persona, usually in the form of mythological creatures. Tarot, mythology and western spirituality usually make up a large part of the setting, even though the games are set in modern-day Japan. The most well-known games are the latest two, Persona 3 and Persona 4 and these are, in fact, the only ones I've played, so I'm basing this more on them than the first 3. If you've never played Persona games before, don't worry, it's not necessary to have played them to understand my game, since I'll be taking a lot of liberties. Just remember the key points of persona are Western Spirituality and Mythology. Think American Gods, if you've read the book, think normal people having a second, supernatural persona (conveniently called a Persona), which they use to solve supernatural problems.

What is Persona Secunda going to be like, then?
Persona Secunda will be set in a fictional city on the Eastern Seaboard, and feature flawed people who will be endowed with supernatural abilities. This will not feature high school student. So you can be college-aged, adults, old, the world's your oyster, but this won't be with kids. One of the big themes will be personal growth and development, the idea that flawed people can become better over time as they go through ordeals. So if you were afraid this was gonna be, well, filled with anime qualities, rejoice, this is going to be closer to American Gods. The tone will be dark urban fantasy, the main plot thread will probably involve serial murders and other such mysteries. A hefty dose of supernatural will of course be present. Though this will use the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying system, don't think you'll be superheroes, you'll be normal people who can affect the supernatural. So, in a nutshell? Persona, except American and grown-up.

How is the game going to be played?
As mentioned above, this will be played over IRC and there will be some slight changes to the system to make it fit the game a bit better.
Every character's power set will be their persona and the limit for it will have to include: "Persona: [Persona] may not be used outside the Dark Hour, if Stressed out, asleep or unconscious."
Specialties, much like power traits, are gonna be toned down to be more in line with regular people. So you can pick from Professional (D8) and Expert (D10) for specialties. Additionally, the Cosmic and Mystic specialties are not available, but Investigation and The Occult are. If you want a specialty that's not listed in the book and it makes sense, just use it. I'm not picky.

I want to sign up and join the group, what do I do?
it's simple, just post two things: !sign up and when you're free to play this. Keep in mind i live in the Eastern Timezone, in Canada. So be sure to mention your timezone so that I may sort this out.
Also, you can start thinking about your character, but don't start thinking about your persona too much, I'll do a thing during the first session, it'll be fun and it'll help you come up with one. If you're dead set, though, you can start thinking about your own persona, but I'll give more info after the first session for Character creation.

I have questions/comments!
Be sure to post, then. It's my first time using the MHR system, my second time running a game and my third time playing a tabletop RPG, so I'm certainly a newbie to the genre here. If you have suggestions, comments, questions, I'll be sure to listen and answer. I'm not afraid of being told I'm wrong. If, for example, you think my approach here isn't the right one, please speak up.

Persona 2: IS is only out for the PSP(+Vita) in the west. Persona 2: EP, the sequel, is only out on PS1 in the west but hopefully the recent PSP remake will get localized. Both contain Persona 1 references as well and returning party members (two of EP's playable cast are adult versions of P1 characters)

It's simple. Professional means the player could have a career in that specialty. He/She wouldn't be the best there is, but is certainly proficient enough in it. Expert is, just like in the book, Experts are a cut above that and are particularly proficient at it.

For example, Professional Business means someone who can work in the business world, a young trader, a new salesman, a manager. Expert Business means someone with years of experience, deep knowledge, someone
who has spent years selling, buying, or trading.

To be entirely honest, I don't think we need to have particularly precise sets of benchmarks. Think of it as Professional being what your character Can do well and Expert being what your character is great at, has the most experience in. So having "Professional-level Investigative skills" doesn't mean you're a detective, but that you could be one if you set your sights on it.

But don't spend too much time thinking about if it makes sense that your character has several specialties, this is gonna need maybe a bit more suspension of disbelief than the magic, ;).

Yes, that's exactly how it will work. The Power set will be your persona, whereas the rest (Specialties, Affiliation, Milestones) will be your character proper.

Of course, to smooth things over, it's okay for every character to know some form of combat, or proficiency with a weapon. After all, if some high school kids don't have a problem using swords and bows and guns to fight shadows, I don't see why you would need to.

I guess I'm interested, though it would ultimately depend on the time we decide on.

For our persona are we basically following the rules in the book "just don't do something that is gonna make all the other players go* ?" or are you gonna have set rules for creation (perhaps different arrays to choose from that seem roughly even) ?

Hmm, that's a bit later than I planned. I was planning on something like Fridays starting at 7 or 8 EST, which is one hour earlier in Central Time, i believe... So, it'd be closer to 7 CST, is that just too early for you?

Well, seems like we have a potential 5 players already. Just waiting for confirmation from jdarksun to make sure the Wednesday 7PM(or 8PM) EDT works for everyone and I guess we could have the first session, for character creation next Wednesday...